Will Ghost restore an image which has been split into 600MB chunks (to facilitate burng to CDs) as a continuous image again without having to be told to do so with further switches ?

Gramps

Looks like you are mixing terms and definitions--so not sure which quesition you are asking...

If you mean will Ghost restore the image to a HDD so the data is whole and complete--yes it will--Ghost will ask for the next disc in the set until the total data is restored.

If you are asking can an image that is in smaller chunks be put back together into a single large image again--the Windows Ghost Explorer could do that by *recompiling* the smaller image files into a larger image file--max size limit for Ghost 2003 is approx 2 GB (2048 MB)--because it's a DOS file size limit.

Night Owl, thanks for your reply,I obviously have not asked the question properly.I have used Ghosr PE for several years on my previous W98 PC(it has saved me lots of trouble many times). I had a 20GB HD divided into 15GB primary and 5GB logical,imaged with Ghost from primary to logical,the compressed image usually about 400MB so no problem burnig it to one CD.Now have upgraded to something better with XP Home and an 80 GB HD (70 primary 10 logical)
and Ghost 2003.I intend to do the same as I did before but the compressed image on logical drive will be of order 2-3GB and that needs several CDs.I thought I could get Ghost to put the image on to the logical drive in chunks of say 6-700 MB and then burn each to a separate CD.What I wanted to know was when I come to restore  the image will it go gack to the primary as one complete "joined up" image without me doing anything to make this happen.
Whilst typing this reply the thought occurs to me that I should just make two images on the logical drive one in suitable sized chunks to burn to CD and another continuous one for restoring to the primary drive.

Gramps


Quote:

What I wanted to know was when I come to restore  the image will it go gack to the primary as one complete "joined up" image without me doing anything to make this happen.

When you *restore*--you are *restoring* the *data* from the image files to the HDD or partition of your choice--you are not *restoring* the *image*.  If Ghost created a *file set* of image files that are *spanned*--Ghost knows how to join and  put all the data back onto a single partition from the spanned image files.  If restoring from optical media, Ghost will ask for the next optical disk in the spanned set when it finishes with the first disc.

What's confusing is that your questions sounds like you want to *join* the smaller *image files* into a larger *image file*.

Ghost will make a single image file of data up to approx 2 GB's (2048 MB), which is a DOS file size limit, and then span data into the next spanned file--to create a *file set*--example:  ghost.gho (approx 2 GB), then ghost001.ghs (spanned file #1--however many MB's are needed to complete the image file set).

You can force Ghost to create smaller file sizes in the image set using the *-split=xxx* switch where *xxx* is the size in MB's that you want.

Be forewarned--you can not use the *Standard Ghost Boot Disk* to restore from an image set that was first saved to HDD and then burned later to optical media--Ghost 2003 will error saying the file set on the optical media is not a Ghost file set!

You have to use the *CD/DVD Startup Disk with Ghost*, or similar boot disk the mounts the optical drive with a DOS driver from the *config.sys* file (ex. oakcdrom.sys with appropriate switches), and assigns a drive letter to the optical drive from the *autoexec.bat* file (ex. mscdex.exe with appropriate switches).

Best to create the *Standard Ghost Boot Disk* and the *CD/DVD Startup Disk with Ghost* and test both by booting to the DOS Ghost and performing an *Integrity* test on the image files on the optical media to confirm that all is working as expected.

Thanks again Night Owl,I can see that I got my terminology somewhat wrong but you have told me what I wanted to know.i'm very grateful for your help.